busy week!

On the go! Don't know where all the time goes!



Went to Orlando to a computer conference. Learned a lot about photoshop and had a great time with Susan. We don't get enough talk time usually. Was like old times, we couldn't tell which pile of money,change and cards came out of whose pockets and were not surprised to be wearing the same brand and style of shoe (different color, though). The hotel had great patterns in their rugs.



Went from Orlando to Gainesville to see a documentary that her daughter-in-law was involved with. Her grandson, Bo, is adorable and so grown up at 3.


Home saturday in time to do some stuff with the tampa house (keep fingers crossed) and then home to switch cars and go get Jannie at the airport. Her plane got in 45 minutes early!!! Pilot must have had a hot date or something. We've been busy catching up since then.

Quiet times here. Weather nice enough for some dock time. Lindsay came by sunday and we cracked open two coconuts and made pina coladas with fresh coconut and the milk. Coconuts looked like they had faces! Jonathan cooked us a fabulous dinner.


Monday was quiet, painted this morning. Finally rousted us out for dinner at the Hurricane and to the grocery store. Planning a super bowl party!

Garden gave us a bunch of arugula yesterday, tomatoes will be awhile.

wild weather week

we've had fog and no wind, we've had cold and wind, we've had thunderstorms, and that was just one day! Yesterday we started in sweaters and ended up in shorts before putting on fleece jammies! Today was sunny and warm, but cold front due tomorrow. Gotta love florida weather, like a teenager going out on the first date and having to try on every outfit in the closet and still not being happy! I am just happy to not be up in the cold north anywhere! Speaking of up north, MA and David found a great place for our new turkish rugs!

Planted flowers today and transplanted a bunch of stuff. Our new veggie garden in pots (with the help of several chairs to block the wind) survived. Added chives to the mix of basil, 2 kinds of lettuce, tomatoes (5), parsley, and strawberries. Lindsay got me going when I helped her plant some cool stuff on her extra day off!


Off to Orlando tomorrow with Susan to go to a computer conference. Hoping to get some new apple and adobe scoops on software and hardware.

Have been painting again. Nice to spend time in my new and improved studio space!!!!
Brenda and Rock came for dinner. . .we had dancing beer butt chicken!!! A fun time was had by all. . . except the chicken!

how did it get to be a week later already. . .

so here it is, friday again. calendar is finished and according to apple, already shipped, i have a new 500 gb backup drive (can't believe how low the prices have gotten now that terrabytes are out!) that is currently trying to remember all the things in my computer's brain so I can free up some disk space and go fasterrrrrrrr. 15000 pictures take a long time to load! went to kayak class tonight and learned how to fall out and get back in. weather has been too cold and windy to be out in the kayaks. cold and calm is ok, warm and windy is ok, cold and windy sucks!


got paints out to work on finishing 3 paintings.

wind has still been blowing, my poor staghorn ferns are holding up mostly, but this one lost a leaf. as the days went by, it became more interesting. . .

Jewelry class!!!!

Fun, frustrating, challenging and productive. I took casting, Cathy took repousee and chasing, Nancy was in charge of the workshops. Met some great people, had fun and learned a lot. Loved the wax shavings.



Used the wax to carve or build pieces, add stones,




invest the wax, cook in the kiln, melt and pour the silver and hopefully have a piece left.





These pieces have been cleaned, but not finished!
Still, it is fun. Had lots of help (thanks, Jim. . .see you at Mainsail Art show in St Pete!)

saturday jan 5

Cathy and I took off for the east coast for a jewelry class. On the way, we stopped at the gem show in Kissimmee (accent on the second syllable. . .)and then spent a challenging time with the gps and lots of toll booths to get to where we were supposed to go. We arrive at ACA about 2 hours late (sorry, Nancy) and unloaded tools into the room. Later we went to Nancy's to settle in there. Beautiful spot. Foggy the first morning along the intercoastal waterway. Other days were still and reflective,





Rammie kept us company!

friday jan 4. . . .full moon party!!

First time for the "bitchery" group in a very long time. Had a great bunch of people and lots of food, laughs and conversation. Need to do it more often. Cathy came up from Punta Gorda to join the party before we left for the east coast saturday.

BRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Wow it got cold. Grass was crunchy, and dots of water on the kayak were frozen. The wind has been roaring since yesterday out of the NE. Low tide was at 430ish this morning and at 11:15 there is still no water out there, tide has come up a bit, although high ground is still visible under the water. Thought Christmas morning was the lowest I had ever seen, not even close. . .
The bridge is the sunshine skyway and it's usually water all the way!


Did some after-the-holidays shopping yesterday and went to Crab Shak for dinner. Returned some unneeded stuff from Sweetwater Kayak, and replaced with other stuff. Dry bags for the phones, FL kayak guide, a paddle leash and new pfd's (life jackets for us old folks). They had a cool kayak with a "glass bottom", would be great fun, but would probably take forever to get anywhere.

Caught the end of the year 50% off calendars. Bill, I found yours!!!!! Got a couple, but most didn't appeal. Keeping appointments on phone and journal here, so. . .

Speaking of calendars, I'm working on a 2008 for us. With photos and birthdays. Challenge to get things from address books to calendar to i-photo calendar program, but it is coming. . .next year wont take so long I hope.

Screamer on the carpet and looked like the cat calendar from Leslie someone. . .

Stay warm!

happy new year!

Weather is getting colder, windy(20-30 mph) and freeze warnings in effect for wednesday through thursday, waves are up, too. Have closed upstairs windows for the first time since we've been home here and the room is chilly. Can hear the wind howling. We did get a visit from the elusive white pelicans again. They were not as close as before, but many more of them.


Process of cleaning out continues. . .5 boxes of hard copy pictures was reduced to 2, lots of duplicates and I figured if I didn't know where some of them were from, I didn't need them!!!!

Talked to Mike and Cindy, will get to see them thursday. Full moon party (either early or late, not sure which. . . ) on friday, leave for east coast with Cathy for a jewelry making class for 5 days. Hate to lose the clean out momentum, but. . .

Stay warm!